Container cover and material therefor



Oct. l, 1935. A. `F. PlTYo Er AL CONTINER COVER AN'D MATERIAL THEREFOR Filed Feb. 2, 1932 y2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. l, 1935'.` A. F. PITYo ET AL CONTAINER COVER AND MATERIAL THEREFOR Filed Feb. 2, 1932 `2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR S VQZQI'ZEPZ'ya fiamma/azz BY THEIR ATTORNEY .Patented ocr. 1, 1935 CONTAINERA covEn AND MATERIAL 'rnEEEFon Albert F. Pltyo, Clifton, and Joseph Frank Mitchell, Parsippany@ N. J., assignors to The Tri State Tool Company, Inc., Newark, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application February z, 1932, serial No. 590,410

` 1o claims. (ci. 21e-38) 'Ihis invention relates to container covers of sheet material and particularly to covers for wide mouthed bottles such as milk and cream bottles, lubricant bottles and thelike, and also to strip 5 material for making such covers.

The main object of the invention is to provide a container cover adapted to be applied by machine and made of paper or'smilar sheet material and which cover thoroughly covers and 19 3 protects the container'mouth and a considerable portion of the neck of the same immediately below the mouth of thecontainer and also to provide a cover which cannot'be reused after removal from the/I container and in which such re- 15.. moval effectually prevents its replacement on another container either by hand or machine. Another object is to provide a plaited skirt paper container cover of improved construction and means for securing it in position on a container. L And a further object is to provide a removal or tear-olf elementg which facilitates the carrying out of the first-mentioned object.

In certain container covers now known to us plaited skirtseareeemployed -wherein staples are -'provided for securing .said covers on the containers and in which said staples are placed di- .rectly through folded plaits. In this form the parts of the staples passing through the plaits .are frequently found to pull away and tear out 30 of. therproper position due to the thinness of the material in which they lie`and the cover thus becomes loosened and the sealing of the container becomes defective. Our present invention is an improvement over 35- the above-mentioned typeof container cover and posed on the downwardly extending folds or plaits, together with suitable fastening means for such folded back portions, for more iirmly securing the covers on the containers.

folded back portions with their fastening means hold down the folds or plaits and prevent them from unclosing and thuspermit looseningof the contact of the skirt on the container neck. This construction further increases the holding power of the skirt by reason of the frictional resistance introduced by placing the folded'back portions against the parts of. the skirt that undergo strain and furthermore to increase the number of 5P; thicknesses of material in which the fasteners or 'holding elements are seated thus increasing the resistance to tearing of the same. It also permits other `fornsof fastening to be used which do not have `the faults'pof staples. 55, L

The y saidy Fig. 'l is a plan of a portion of a strip of such features in view which will appearI as the description progresses, we have illustrated our improved container cover and material inthe drawings accompanying and forming part of this specication, and inV which.- t

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in vertical section of a portion of a widemouthed bottle 5-5 0f Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a plan of a blank for one of our improved container covers.

blanks. l 20 Fig. 8 is aside elevation of a full strip of such blanks formed into a roll to be placed in a suitable machine for applying them to containers.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation similar to Fig 1 showing the method of applying another form of our embodies the use of folded back portions super- .With-,the foregoing and other advantageous container cover.

Fig. 10 is a side elevation showing the same as fully applied.

Fig. l1 is'a' side elevation similar to Fig. 9 showing the method of applying another form of our invention. i g

Fig. 12 is aside elevation of the same as fully applied. A Fig. 13 is a side elevation similar to Fig. 10 of another form of our device.

Fig. 14 is a plan of another form of blank for our improved device, and

Fig. 15 is a plan of a portion of a strip oi such blanks. j p.

Like characters of reference refer to like parts 40 in all the iigures of the drawings.

Referring first to Fi'g. 6, of the drawings, we have here illustrated the blank for one form of our invention and saidV blank which is denoted by the numeral 2; is shown nearly square in shape 45 but having three of its corners of truncated form as indicated at 3. The said blank is preferably creased at 4 to form a multi-sided central portion 5 which is here shown imperi'orate but perforated forms may also be employed if desired, and the central portion may consist merely of suf-1 iicient material to cover the rim of the container mouth. i l 'I'he blank is/also furtherfcreased at 6 and 1 starting at the corners Vof the central portion and extending outwardly to the edges of the blank and also at 8 transversely of the corners. In the form herein illustrated one of the c orners is not formed of the same shape as the corners 3 but is left substantially right angled as at S for a purpose which will hereinafter more fully ap-4 pear.

The material for the blanks is ordinarily prepared'in long strips as indicated at I 0 in Fig. 7 which strips may be formed into rolls as shown in Fig. 8. The strip IIJ is formed with a multi-V plicity'of cover blanks creased therein as at 5, 6, l and 8 and atI I-I I. The width of the strip I0 is ordinarily the same as the width of the blank 2 and in this form there are cut ot portions I2 to define the corners of the blanks. -When the blanks are being applied to containers, the end blank on a strip is always the one being applied so that three sides of the blank arel already formed and the fourth side of the blank is then formed by severing through the first transverse crease I I-I I. Perforations I3 may be provided between each two blanks so that they may be engaged by a centering element which we ordinarily employ when the covers are being applied.

In applying a cover'blank to acontainer, after severing the blank at Il, the central portion 5 is placed on the container mouth M and the suri rounding portions of the blank are pushed downward to form a skirt portion I4 surrounding the upper part of the container or the neck N of a bottle if the same is being operated upon. The skirt portion is ordinarily formed with a plurality of flaps I5 and I5a and a plurality'of downwardly extending folds or plaits such as I6 preferably in oppositely disposed pairs as shown in Fig. 4 where each of the folds or plaits forms a double thickness of paper folded back upon the inner ply of the skirt portion I4 and being folded along the creased lines 6 and 'I of Fig. 6. The flaps I5 and I5a alternate with each other. It will be noted in Fig. 4 that the portions I1 of the skirt portion I4 are longer and extend below the remainder of the skirt portion opposite each pair of plaits forming tabs, the said longer portions or-tabs being in fact the corner portions 3 of the blank 2. Y The projecting parts I1 or tabs are now folded back against the plaits I6 as shown in Fig. 1 and preferably are secured in their lfolded back positions by any suitable means such as the elements I8, which may be the fasteners of Fig. 1, the eyelets of Fig. 2, wire' staples and other devices. Other suitable holdingmeans may also be employed and we do not'limit ourselves to the forms herein illustrated. The corner 9 is folded back along with the other corners and extends to a higher position so that it can be readily taken hold of by the thumb and finger. When it is desired to remove a cover C, the corner 9 or tearoff portion is grasped between the thumb and nger and pulled downward so that the fastener or holding means are disengaged and the cover or cap is then readily pulled olf oi the container neck and mouth.` The fasteners shown herein can only be applied by a machine in practice and the cover blanks can only be put on economically and properly by machine, so that when once a tearoif portion is pulled off its fastener it is practically impossible to use the particular cover or capa second time.

In some forms of the'invention we may construct all of the tabs like that of the corner 9 and we may place the fastener elements in dif-4 less of them and we do not limit ourselves to the designs here disclosed.

The forms of our device shown in Figs. 9 to 13 inclusive are all adapted to be made from the blank 2a shown in Figs. 14 and 15. This blank 5 differs from that of Fig. 6 in having all square corners instead of part or all truncated corners. In the form of cover shown in Figs. 9 and 10 the central portion 5 is placed on the container mouth and the skirt portion I4 pushed down in the same manner as in the form of Fig. 1, the corner portions 20 are then folded back upon the skirt portion on the creased lines 2| as shown in Fig. 9. Downward folds 22 are thenjformed along the creased lines 23 and 24 'so that the said 15 folds 22 are tucked under the creases 23 as shown in Fig. 10. The pointed upwardly extending portions 25 are secured to the skirt portion proper by suitable means such as the wire staples shown in Fig. 10.

The formof the invention shown in Figs. 11 and 12 is applied by placing the central portion 5 on the container mouth and pushing down the skirt portion I4 as in the other forms, but the plaits are formed by tucking in the wedge-shaped portions 25 '28 under the portions 29, which portions extend downwardly below the lower edge 30 of the skirt aI4 forming tabs 29a. The tabs 29a are now folded back on the portion 29 and secured by suitable means such as the staple 3l as shown in Fig. 12. 30

'Ihe form of the invention shown in Fig. 13'is made like that of Fig. 12 as far as the positions shown in Fig. 11 but at that point instead of folding back the tabs 29a' they are tucked under and pushed up behind the portion 29 as shown in Fig. 85 13. With this formA the final or closing tab may be of the form shown in Fig. 10 as being less diilicult to secure at this part and it may also act as the tear-off portion for detaching the cover from l the container.` 40

It is apparent that other changes and modications can be made in our improved article which will be within the scope and spirit of the invention and' we do not therefore .limit ourselves to the details of construction and arrangement herein illustrated and described.

What we claim isz- 1. Acontainelr cover comprising a portion to cover thecontainer mouth, a depending skirt por! tionjoined to the first-mentioned portion; adaptl ed to surround the upper part of the container and having downwardly extending folds, and a portion longer than the parts of the skirt portion adjacent to it, folded back upon and securing said K folds in position.

2. A container cover comprising a portion to cover the container mouth, a depending skirt portion joined to the rst-mentioned portion, surrounding the upper part of the container and having a pair of oppositely disposed downwardly extending folds, a portion joined to and folded back on said downwardly extending folds, and means to secure the folded back portion in s uch position.

3. A container cover comprising a portion to cover the container mouth, a downwardly extending skirt portion having downwardly extending folds and joined to the first-mentioned portion, a portion joined to and folded back on said downwardly folded portion, and means to secure thefolded back portion in such position including an element passed through boththefolded portion and the adjacent part of the skirt portion.

l 4. A container cover comprising a portion to cover the contamer mouth, a'skirt portion `ioinetl 75 to the first-mentioned portion and having a plurality of downwardly extending folds, a plurality of spaced integral depending portions longer than the remainder of the skirt portion each folded back upon atleast one of said downwardly extending folds, and means to secure the folded back portions in such position.

5.`A container cover comprising a portion to cover the container mouth, a skirt portion joined to the first-mentioned portion, adapted to surroundthe upper part of the container and having a plurality of pairs of oppositely arranged downwardly extending folds and a plurality of depending tabs one between each pair of folds each tab folded back upon its respective pair of folds, and means to retain the tabsinsuch position.

6. A container cover comprising a central portion adapted to cover the container mouth, a skirt portion joined to said central portion and adapted to surround the upper part of the container and including alternating longer and shorter portions and a plurality of downwardly extending plaits, the lower part of each such longer portion folded back upon the adjacent plaits, and tongue ele` ments passed through the folded back portions and the skirt portion to hold the folded back portions in position 7. A container cover comprising a portion to cover the container mouth, a depending skirt portion joined to the first-mentioned portion and having downwardly extending plaits, a plurality of depending portions joined to and folded back on said plaited portion, and means to fasten the folded back portions in such position, one of said folded back portions having a part whereby it can be pulled from its fastening means and whereby the cover can be detached from the container.

8. A container cover comprising a blank of sheet material having. a central portion adapted to cover the container mouth, a skirt portion joined to the central portion and adapted to surround the upper part of the container and including longer and shorter parts, said skirt portion having a plurality of downwardly extending folds respectively adjacent said longer parts, each such longer part folded back upon the adjacent pair of downwardly exten-ding folds, and means to secure the folded back portions in such position.

9. A container cover comprising a portion to cover the container mouth, and a skirt portion joined to the first-mentioned portion, adapted to surround the upper part of the container and having a plurality of pairs of oppositely disposed lengthwise plaits and a plurality of folded back portions each of which locks the adjacent pair of lengthwise plaits in position.

10. A container cover comprising a portion to cover the container mouth, a skirt portion joined to the first-mentioned portion, having a plurality of downwardly extending plaits and a plurality of depending tabs respectively folded back upon the plaits, and a plurality of fasteners each passed through the plaited portion and one of said tabs to hold the latter in position. l

l1. Container cover material comprising a strip of sheet material having spaced weakened portions outlining the central parts of the container 5 cover tops thereon, outwardly extending weakened portions surrounding the first-mentioned ones and defining plaits, cut away portions at each side of said strip between each two cover outlines, a severing line between each two cover outlines, and a. 10 centering perforation for each container cover, substantially on said severing line.

12. A container cover comprising a portion to cover the container mouth, a depending skirt portion joined to the first-mentioned portion, 15 adapted to surround the upper part of the container and having downwardly extending folds, and a portion longer than the parts of the skirt portion adjacent to it, folded back upon and securing said folds in position, the folding line there- 20 of being substantially at the lower edges of said parts.

13. A container cover comprising a container mouth covering portion and a skirt portion depending therefrom and embodying a plurality of 25 flaps and a plurality of plaits alternating with the aps, alternate flaps extended into tabs, said tabs folded upwardly, and each tab folding a plait l against its respective flap and secured in such position.

14.A container cover comprising Ia container mouth covering portion and a skirt portion depending therefrom embodying a pair of oppositely disposed downwardly extending folds, a flap portion between said folds longer than the adjacent 35 parts of the skirt portion, said flap portionfolded upwardly and interfolding with said downwardly extending folds and secured in such position.

i 15. A bottle cap comprising a bottle mouth closing portion, a skirt portion for surrounding the 40 neck of the bottle, said skirt beingformed of a plurality of pairs of plaits, with the plaits of each pair arranged in spaced relation and folded circumferentially towards each other, a tab integral with the outer edge of the skirt intermediate each pair of plaits and folded to extend between the plaits and the adjacent portionof the bottle for maintaining the plaits in the folded position.

16. A bottle cap of pliant material having a top portion of polygonal form with an even number 50 of sides, a skirt depending from the edge of the top portion, said skirt having successive body and tongue sections projecting alternately from the successive sides of the top portion, the body sections being broader at their outer than at their 55 inner ends and having their adjacent side edges lapped by the body portions of respective intermediate tongues, said tongues being longer than the body sections and having their free er1-d portions doubled around the end edges of the lapped 60 portions to resist an unfolding of the skirt. i

ALBERT F. PITYO.

J FRANK MITCHELL. 

